NEWBURGH – The renovation and expansion of St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital’s Kaplan Family Center for Emergency Medicine officially began last Tuesday morning with a ceremony at the hospital’s Newburgh campus. The project, announced in November 2017 and funded by an $8M grant from the New York State Department of Health’s Statewide Health Care Facility Transformation Program, will make physical enhancements to improve the care and efficiency for patients.
The plan calls for the addition of an MRI Suite, 10-bed Observation Unit, increased triage space to assess patients, and increased ambulance parking.
“This was an exciting day for St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital and the communities we serve,” said SLCH President & CEO Joan Cusack-McGuirk. “We made a commitment to our patients and the community that SLCH would continue to transform healthcare delivery, and today we are delivering on that promise.”
The specific improvements include added triage space and expansion of Fast Track to improve patient flow and allow for faster patient assessment; an Observation Unit that provides a centralized area to treat patients who need additional care but not necessarily inpatient admission; an MRI suite to give patients the ability to receive all their diagnostic testing without being transferred; and expanded parking for EMS providers that improves patients’ transition of care.
DI Group Architecture designed the new space, while Holt Construction will handle the building and renovation activities.
Several elected officials and their representatives who have continuously advocated for the growth of St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital were on hand to commemorate the start of the project.
Also, in attendance were the St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital Board of Trustees, hospital leadership, the St. Luke’s Cornwall Health System Foundation Board of Directors, retired Senator William Larkin, and longtime SLCH supporters, the Kaplan family, including Mr. William Kaplan and Ms. Joan Kaplan.
SLCH’s Emergency Department is a verified Level III Trauma Center. The project is expected to take 18 months to complete.
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